Ten symbols
by kimchi71399
Summary: When England, China, and S.Korea decide to visit Japan, Japan and Korea switch bodies - wait what! Crappy summary. KoreaxJapan Yong SooxKiku. Rated T for certain flashbacks...


_Be free from chains and strong by heart_

_As you get prepared for a new start. _

_Join hands as you enter a new Genesis_

_Love like the vines of __convolvulus arvensis_

~ By Kimchi71399

* * *

><p>Japan knew something was up.<p>

When South Korea had 'coincidentally' shown up at his house with China and England.

When it had 'coincidentally' rained so hard, the other nations couldn't return to their homes.

And when the lights had 'coincidentally' gone out.

Japan struggled to see through the darkness. There was simply no way to escape the clutches of the shadows. He found himself constantly tripping over the other nations and furniture. Voices rang out to him, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. That is, only before it was too late.

"_Chyfnewid 'r chorff , 'r dendio , a 'r enaid. D hun ag naill a all erioed faddau ai anghofia …" _What were those words? What did they mean? Japan's head hurt too much to know. The chant continued dully.

However, Japan felt himself perk up and listen, because what seemed to be the last line, was in a languages he understood.

"You have 'till the tenth day, at midnight. Nothing will return to what it has once been before you can understand his true intentions. If you fail, only one mind will prevail, whence the other perish," on cue a bolt of lightning flashed outside. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, but Japan thought he saw a figure illuminated by the light. What could have been a silhouette, but was obviously real.

His mind ached. But he was put at ease as he blacked out into nothing.

. . .

"He's waking up! Yong Soo are you okay aru?" China's voice was musty and slow at first, but eventually cleared up.

"C-China-san?" Japan replied weakly. Why had China referred to him as Yong Soo? That was South Korea's name, was it not?

"Did Korea just say 'san'? I swear Japan's gone to his head during the second invasion aru," China muttered.

With his vision now fully restored, Japan sat up to see….well….himself.

He was sprawled on the floor with his hair and kimono slightly ruffled. But if that was him, then who was he? Japan surveyed the room. England was rubbing a sore spot on the back of his head while China looked back and forth between his dazed siblings. Wait, did that mean…. He was South Korea?

Blue hanbok. Defiantly Korea.

Japan had a late reaction to this information.

"Ehhh? K-korea-san… that..me…" Japan simply could not find the words to explain his surprising transformation.

"Korea? Are you okay aru?"

"China-san! It's me! Japan! Honda Kiku!" Japan yelled.

China and England suddenly became deathly pale.

After a short silence, England spoke up. "Don't tell me.. it worked?"

"What worked?" Japan's voice spoke up, well, actually Korea with Japan's voice. Yong Soo was sitting up and rubbing his eyes like a child. "China hyung ~ I think I banged my head on something, but-" Yong Soo stopped when his eyes laid upon…well, himself.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Yong Soo yelled.

. . .

After calming the over stressed Yong Soo, explanations came.

"Well, I guess I kinda got over my head when this git (England motioned to Korea) began to fuss about pocky and pepero. I made a spell, it was a random one, I can't remember how it functioned. But I guess it tied Japan and Korea together, making them switch bodies," England waited for the reaction.

"Turn us back! I don't like being shorter than Japan!" Yong Soo whined.

"Well, right now, you _are_ Japan aru…." China muttered. He was unaccustomed to see Kiku, who was usually calm and serious, become so rough and whiny. He was also unnerved to see Yong Soo, who was so playful and tireless, become so determined and diligent.

"There is an easy way to diagnose the two of you-"

"GREAT!" Yong Soo yelled.

"But you're gonna have to strip down to the waist."

The room seemed to freeze. Neither England nor China really wanted to see the two other nations strip. Yong Soo had no comment. Kiku, well, he was the unsteady one. Even if he was in Korea's body, stripping…well he just couldn't do it.

Still, Kiku found himself entirely red as he sat in the room without anything on down to his waist.

England weaved himself around the two. Looking at their skin intently.

After the diagnosis, England announced what had happened.

"It's clear that you both are tied together with a sort of empathy link, so if one dies, the other will die along too. (England had to pause to let Yong Soo groan). It seems when the bloody storm brewed it screwed up my spell, enhancing it maybe. You both have the same burn marks, which proves some things," England paused.

"So what do they mean aru?" China almost pleaded. He hated to see his brothers this way.

England cleared his throat. "The intertwined stems means two live become as one, or togetherness. The Sankofa means learn from the past. Tamfo bebre means jealousy. Mmre dane means change. Fawohodie means independence. Boa me na me mmoa wo means cooperation. Akoma, means patience. Aya, means endurance. Eban, safety and security. And finally, the dog's head means death and protection," England felt his throat go dry from explaining all the meanings.

"Aiyah! They sound so confusing aru!" China leaned back against a wall, trying to sort the meanings in his head.

"They should be confusing. One or two of them are familiar in Europe, but all the others come from West Africa… I think. I don't know much about it, but what I do know is that these two have ten days to change back before the spell goes haywire," England replied.

"England-san, what do you mean by haywire?" Kiku asked.

"Yeah, how can a spell go crazy?" Yong Soo chirped along.

"Well, I concluded the spell will break down in ten days, but if you two are still switched by that time, someone might get majorly injured, possibly killed," England struggled to keep his voice straight.

"How do we switch them back aru?" China asked.

England's (bushy) brow furrowed. "I'm not sure China, I haven't seen this kind of combination in a long time. It may take a while to find out the answer to all this, but in the mean time, I suggest you two try to act as each other. We wouldn't want other nations eavesdropping onto this, so keep it confidential please," England finished with a sigh. It would take a heck of a long time to get the proper spellbook and charms….

"Do you think you can do it before ten days is over? Because I don't wanna die!" Yong Soo whined.

"Don't worry, I'm a master at spells, I can fix up a measly antidote in less than an hour!" England exclaimed.

"REALLY?" Yong Soo yelled.

_Three hours later. . . _

"Bloody potion, work!" England yelled as he jammed more steaming fluid into Yong Soo's throat.

Yong Soo felt like he had been run over by a two ton truck. In the past three hours, he had tried a variety of different potions all brewed by England and none of them did anything. He wished he could puke every last ounce of color he had swallowed, but no part of Japan's body obeyed him anymore. Kiku watched in distress as England continuously failed. How much longer did he plan to torture his body? He wished China hadn't left and abandoned him alone with the obnoxious Brit and flimsy Yong Soo in his body.

After another douse of liquid, Yong Soo felt himself slipping into unconsciousness.

"Try this one Korea," England said as he firmly pressed another test cup into Yong Soo's (really Kiku's) hand.

Yong Soo watched the colors swirl inside the cup. Before he knew it, he had passed out cold on the floor, the contents of the cup pouring onto the floor.

"Korea! Oi Korea…. This is bad, I think I over did it," England muttered.

"Is he okay?" Kiku motioned to his still body.

"Well, the body isn't damaged, it's the mind. All of these potions are supposed to wedge Korea's mind out of your body, but I think all they're doing is hurting him," England replied. England packed up his brewing materials into a small satchel. "I'm going to leave now, I have more information in London, so it'll be easier to brew there. Once I find the cure, I'll come over."

"Okay. Thank you England-san for your time," Kiku gave England a low bow.

"Oh, and try not to more the body too much, if Korea's mind did slip out then the body needs to be there so he can return," England said as he left.

Kiku looked gloomily at his body. How he longed to be there and not in the body of an energetic Korea. With the new addition to his height, Kiku managed to move the dozing body into the guest bedroom. It wasn't very late yet, so Japan/Korea found himself tending to his normal chores and order. _'I hope we change back soon….because I don't think Korea-san wants to drink any more potions!' _Japan thought once as he passed the guest bedroom.

. . .

It was late evening. The Republic of Korea in Japan's body still hadn't budged.

Kiku leaned over him, trying to get him to swallow some water, but the deathly pale lips of Japan's body wouldn't move. Pursuing farther than he normally would have, Japan/Korea pressed the two fingers onto Japan's wrist. Nothing. He tried the neck. Nothing. Finally, he found himself in the position to lay his head onto Japan's chest. There it was.

The steady beat of the heart seemed to break the silence.

Even though it was his own body, Kiku was unnerved and entirely red in the face. He sighed. Of course he was red. The spell hadn't changed who he was; it only changed the body he possessed.

He sighed and began to peel away. That is, before a pale hand clamped the back of his neck and drew him closer to the seemingly slumbering body. Kiku's body felt hot as it pressed onto the opposite one beneath him. What was going on? Was Yong Soo crazed? Kiku felt only hotter as he squirmed upwards to escape this grasp. Then he froze when he reach his face. A sheen of sweat covered the pale skin. And now that Kiku listened closer, he realized that the other body was muttering.

"Kiku….." the word was barely audible. Kiku was surprised that he heard it at all.

"Yes?" he hesitantly answered. He also hadn't noticed until now that when he spoke, his voice sounded like Yong Soo's.

"Go to hell you fucking bastard…my people don't deserve this…Where is… my fucking brother…."

Kiku had heard those words before. Seventy years ago. Right after the Japanese Occupation of Korea, over the telephone. When Korea was still one.

The Japanese boy still remembered when Korea was just one person. He seemed to be more like Hyung Soo (North Korea). Stern, calm, and diligent. He and Japan had been much alike. Best Friends actually. So close, that they had the red string of fate connecting them.

_. . ._

"_Come on in aru!" China's voice rang over the fields. _

_Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand came rushing in without hesitation. _

"_Where's Korea and Japan aru?" China mused. None of the Asian nations had an answer to China's question. In fact, they had grown so worried about the sudden disappearance of the two nations, they had all excused themselves from dinner to search. It had taken two hours to find them. _

_Korea had Japan's arm slung over his shoulder as he dragged/supported the Japanese boy. Both of them had bruises that were changing to vibrant colors. But they were both smiling. _

_And that's when China saw it. _

_A slender red string that connected their pinkies. _

_He had told Japan. The younger nation didn't seem to mind. He liked Korea just fine. Korea didn't mind either. He was quite fond of the dark-haired boy. _

_Then it came. _

_Japan's boss forced Japan to invade Korea. _

"_Why Kiku? Don't you remember this?" Korea held up his pinky. Even though neither nations could see the red string of fate, they knew it was there._

"_I'm sorry Im Jung Soo. But it is a thing of the past. It no longer lives with me," Kiku said coldly. _

_. . ._

_Japan didn't have the chance to see Korea for several years until the end of the Korean war in 1953. _

"_So you are Japan?" Yong Soo asked curiously. _

"_Yes," Kiku could hardly believe his eyes. Instead of the calm, yet joyous Jung Soo, he met the Korea twins. _

_The over-excited Im Yong Soo, The Republic of Korea. South._

_And the violent Im Hyung Soo, The Democratic People's republic of Korea. North._

**There were many many tunes in the air, yet, no melody at all.**

. . .

"Kikuuuuuu~!" Yong Soo(still in Kiku's body) whined.

"Yes?"

"What're we gonna do about our meetings? I doubt Germany would be comfortable giving secretive information to my body~!"

"Yes, however, he would be more concerned about giving information to your mind-"

"Let's switch," Yong Soo's voice was hopeful.

"What? We most certainly will not be switching!" Kiku yelled. His face was flushed. If they did decide to switch, what would happen? If there was one thing Korea sucked at, it was being calm.

"Aww, but that's no fun! Let's keep this a secret between you and me!"

"But China-san and England-san already know…."

"We'll just say we switched back already!"

"You know this is very wrong Yong Soo. China-san wouldn't hesitate to beat you with his wok."

"I know!" Yong Soo yelled happily.

"But what about the ten days? This is our first day and soon we will only have nine left," Kiku piped up, recalling the words during the storm.

"We'll just tell China hyung and England on the fifth day so they can have time to reverse it~!"

Kiku wanted to say no. He could never let Yong Soo replace him. It just wasn't possible.

Realizing Kiku's reluctance Yong Soo decided to bump up the stakes. "How about we make a bet? Let's see who can stay in character as the other longer. The deadline is day five."

"What are the prizes?" Kiku asked, suddenly interested.

"Hm, if I win, then I get to groupe you and you can't complain~!"

Kiku wanted to faint. He was horror-stricken at the very thought of the idea.

"But if you win, then I'm not allowed to groupe you for seven months~!"

"Deal!" Kiku felt guilty the instant the word rolled off his tongue. He didn't know why. He just felt so desperate to switch. What was Yong Soo's life like? What did that crazy Asian do all day? What were his deepest secrets? Kiku wanted to know it all, just to get some dirt on Yong Soo. But why did he want it so badly?

"Okay! Then you act as me and I'll act as you!"

"Fine!"

. . .

"You know it's still there Yao," Arthur said as he shifted through his papers again.

The two had come early to discuss what they would do with Yong Soo and Kiku.

"Yes, I am very aware of it aru," he sighed and rubbed his temples.

"We'll probably have to cut it."

"Why aru?" an expression of worry and shock covered Yao's face.

"If we don't them they'll probably die," Arthur said as gently as possible.

Yao chocked back a silent sob.

"At least that way, neither will get hurt," Arthur tried to comfort Yao.

"T-t-t-they won't get hurt physically, but their hearts will be scarred with betrayal aru" Yao continued to sob.

"They're not kids anymore Yao. And besides, both have already had mouthfuls of betrayal in their screwed up histories."

"B-b-but-" Yao's voice was cut off as his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Sniffing away the tears, he opened it.

"Yao-san?"

It was Kiku.

"Yes aru?"

"Yao-san, thank you for your assistance, however it seems that Yong Soo and I have already switched back to normal. Please send my regards for Arthur-san who work hard to make such difficult potions today," Kiku's voice was calm…. The normal Kiku, not Yong Soo in Kiku's body.

"Erm, Your welcome aru?" They had switched back?

"Good bye Yao-san," Kiku finally said as he hung up.

Yao slowly lowered the phone and smiled. "They're back to normal aru…. What a relief aru."

"Yes, now we don't have to cut it," Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair.

"No. We don't have to cut it aru."

"The red string of fate between Yong Soo and Kiku."

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><p>I Do Not Own Hetalia *sobs*<br>Whoa, did I write this while I was sleeping? I just found it and... Nevermind~!  
>God I hate poetry! But all my buddies say I'm good it... and ganged up on me so I was force to write poetry here =w= (my friends and family are forcing me to write so much stuff! I can't keep up!)<br>I think it sucks though (and it's really short!)  
>If you can guess what the chant (the one Kiku heard in the storm) means, then you get a cookie! Just don't tell anyone!<p>

Im Jung Soo - He's supposed to be the nation of Korea when it was unified (so he's like, either Unified Silla or Goryeo..or just Korea... I think he's supposed to be all O.o). He was Kiku's best friend (and adoptive brother/lover). But he mysteriously disappeared after the separation of Korea. His names means 'righteous, honest, and beautiful'.

_convolvulus arvensis_ ~ http: / / www. microscopy-uk. org. uk /mag/ - A very pretty vine flower

_Preview of the next chapter: Sankofa _

_"Diary huh?" Kiku picked up the worn out leather-bound diary. _

_However, never in the world would he have been expected to float into the mysterious world of Yong Soo's past. _

_Quite literally. The floor shifted and Kiku fell back, his vision enclosed in white even before he hit the floor.  
><em>

"My heart hurts Kiku..."a voice came out of seemingly nowhere.

_No, Kiku wanted to shut the diary. The first line was enough for him. He didn't need to know what had happened to Jung Soo!_

"Are you really heartless enough to betray your own lover?"_  
><em>

_Kiku felt like going to hell.  
><em>


End file.
